I smell auto insurance problems

My wife was rear ended a few weeks ago.
Contacted the other parties insurance company and they send out a adjuster. Estimates the damage at 4K. Writes her a check and says take it to any shop we want. If hidden damage is found they will cover the cost with another check to the shop. Damages have to be 7875 before it is a total loss by state law.

So far so good.

Then Friday she was on her way to the body shop so they can look at the car and order parts needed for the job when she was rear ended again. This person has insurance with a different company.
Total damage looks to be in the 8 to 10k range now.

I can see this now. The two insurance companies fighting over what damage was caused by what accident. With the present damage it should be a total loss but they are going to file it as two different claims.

I think my best plan now is to file a claim under my collision coverage; pay the 1k deductible that will be reimbursed after the claim is settled; turn over the 4k check from the first accident to them; and let them fight with the other insurance companies on who owes what.

Any advise.
Told her that her next car will be a solid steel tank no matter how bad the gas mileage is.

Have you considered telling your wife that it might not be "The rest of the world"? What does she do, slam brakes at 120mph?

Yes, if you have collision coverage you need to file a claim with your insurance and let them recover damages from the other two. Don't get caught in the middle of two insurance companies, you'll end up the loser for sure.

Yup, I'd have my insurance deal with it for sure. Did that when my 6 month old, 3000 mile 3/4 ton pickup got broadsided, they kept finding a few more things, was nice not to have to hassle with it. And that was just one hit, not 2. You'd do well to go that route from what I know. But I don't know much about insurance.

--->Paul

The first accident she was sitting at a red light. The other driver was not paying attention and tried to stop and swerve but caught the drivers rear corner.
The second accident her and the car behind her were in a line; right turn lane at a red light. When my wife moved up to first in line she stopped to check for oncoming traffic. There was a red light but right turn is allowed on red. A opening came that my wife most likely could have went but she choose not to. The driver behind her was looking down the road and assumed my wife had went. Smacked her right in the center rear of the car.

John, I have a wife. I know that women are terrible drivers. I've had to ask my wife if she could see a common factor in each of her accidents.

I'm just funning you, John. Did you, however, give her a rash, yet?

All 3 drivers were women.
Told my wife that I will drive the new car for a while and she could use my pickup. I can see a new pickup in my future that way.
Also went and looked at new cars Saturday. One had this rubber piece that is called rear bumper protector. Told her we need to get this one.

I know you are only funning.

"All 3 drivers were women."

I'm so not surprised! I'm going to be off the computer a few minute to share that with my wife. If something should happen to me, don't believe the suicide note.

Thanks; That is what I was thinking. Was trying not to go that route because of my high deductable but it looks like that will be the best route.

The first driver has some small insurance company but the second driver has state farm; the same insurance company I have.

Get Yourself a Crown Vic , or a MarQuis . I Found a nice garage kept 98 at estate auction ,only had 122k miles ,

John I was on the other side of this twenty some odd years ago. I backed out of a blind driveway on a small country road. I hit a car that was coming down the road way too fast for the conditions. We both pulled off the road. The other driver got out and it was a woman about eight months pregnant. She was dressed in good cloths and high heels going to work. The road was covered in packed snow several inches thick and it was real slick. We looked at her car. It was a 10-15 year old beater. All four sides had been hit and banged up. I had broken the left front side marker light and the chrome ring that held it in. We both agreed that was all of the "new" damage. She said her husband would more than likely fix it himself. I gave her my Name/phone number an told her or him to call with what it was going to cost. I wanted to get her back in her car before she fell down walking on that slick road. I never heard anything for almost three months. I figured that he had just put a new light bulb in and taped the lens that was broke. That is how the other lights had been fixed. He called one night and told me that the total estimate was $2800 dollars. What the HECK!!!!!!! I asked him how that it could be that much for just damaging the left front marker light. He said OH no you damaged the whole side of the car???? I told him to get a hold of my insurance company. I called my agent and told him what happened. I even had the lady that owned the property that I was backing out go and give a deposition because she saw the whole thing. Guess what happened??? My insurance company never even sent an adjuster to look at the car. They just paid it off of his estimate. The whole car was not worth $500 and they paid him $2500.

The best part was that the next time my insurance came due the insurance company raised my rates $1000 a year. I switched companies real fast.

The company that paid without looking at the car??? Nationwide. Remember their catchy little jingle " Nationwide always on your side". Well it must just be certain people. My Son was hit by a car with Nationwide insurance. It took him from Good Friday to Labor day to get paid for the value his car had.

So good luck with your claims. I am willing to bet that you will get hammered some how in this deal.

Woman drivers-No survivors!

This should be fun to keep track of...

The second accident is not going to cover exiting damage... You have 4K in the pocket what is the damage from the second accident thats the question that needs to be answered...

I spec your insurance will total the car and take what the other 2 CO. pay them... You loose either way...

I would cash the 4K check its your money,,, let the car sit in storage for as long as it takes the other CO. to make a agreeable offer... While its in storage it eats :wink: It will not take them long to figger it out...

I would still suggest she take a defensive driving course.
I have avoided being rear ended twice because I pay attention to what is happening ALL around me at stop lights. Once I sped through the light - after looking both ways of course - and the dummy kept going and had no clue we had both run the light.
Second time - sudden traffic jam on the freeway I managed to see him coming behind me and pulled over onto the shoulder. He hit the car in front of me - who wasn't paying attention.

(quoted from post at 22:42:26 10/23/11) I would still suggest she take a defensive driving course.
I have avoided being rear ended twice because I pay attention to what is happening ALL around me at stop lights. Once I sped through the light - after looking both ways of course - and the dummy kept going and had no clue we had both run the light.
Second time - sudden traffic jam on the freeway I managed to see him coming behind me and pulled over onto the shoulder. He hit the car in front of me - who wasn't paying attention.

Click to expand...

I have avoided several accidents this way, but sometimes you are stuck where you cannot move. Happened to me once in a multiple lane backed-up traffic. Was in a center lane, dead stop -- cars all around. The person coming up behind me cruised right on into my rear bumper... You can win some, but you can't win 'em all.

(quoted from post at 20:50:54 10/23/11)

(quoted from post at 22:42:26 10/23/11) I would still suggest she take a defensive driving course.
I have avoided being rear ended twice because I pay attention to what is happening ALL around me at stop lights. Once I sped through the light - after looking both ways of course - and the dummy kept going and had no clue we had both run the light.
Second time - sudden traffic jam on the freeway I managed to see him coming behind me and pulled over onto the shoulder. He hit the car in front of me - who wasn't paying attention.

Click to expand...

I have avoided several accidents this way, but sometimes you are stuck where you cannot move. Happened to me once in a multiple lane backed-up traffic. Was in a center lane, dead stop -- cars all around. The person coming up behind me cruised right on into my rear bumper... You can win some, but you can't win 'em all.

Click to expand...

Outstanding idea.................. Look in the rearview while you are stopped and doing everything right and see some idiot bearing down on you..floor it so he don't have an accident..... don't worry about the semi or car load of kids you just pulled out in front of cause you just saved the idiot behind you from an embarrassing situation......

Wonder sometimes if folks ever think about the expert advice they give 9or halfway agree to?????

(quoted from post at 00:01:53 10/24/11)

(quoted from post at 20:50:54 10/23/11)

(quoted from post at 22:42:26 10/23/11) I would still suggest she take a defensive driving course.
I have avoided being rear ended twice because I pay attention to what is happening ALL around me at stop lights. Once I sped through the light - after looking both ways of course - and the dummy kept going and had no clue we had both run the light.
Second time - sudden traffic jam on the freeway I managed to see him coming behind me and pulled over onto the shoulder. He hit the car in front of me - who wasn't paying attention.

Click to expand...

I have avoided several accidents this way, but sometimes you are stuck where you cannot move. Happened to me once in a multiple lane backed-up traffic. Was in a center lane, dead stop -- cars all around. The person coming up behind me cruised right on into my rear bumper... You can win some, but you can't win 'em all.

Click to expand...

Outstanding idea.................. Look in the rearview while you are stopped and doing everything right and see some idiot bearing down on you..floor it so he don't have an accident..... don't worry about the semi or car load of kids you just pulled out in front of cause you just saved the idiot behind you from an embarrassing situation......

Wonder sometimes if folks ever think about the expert advice they give 9or halfway agree to?????

Click to expand...

Well, in my case, it has been pulling off the road/taking the ditch/using the shoulder to avoid an accident. I wouldn't go through a red light or pull out in front of somebody.

Got screwed by Nationwide nearly 20 years ago and will NEVER again give them my business.

WHATWEVER YOU DO!!! I would get my own lawyer. You dont even have to tell any of the insurance companies including Yours. Just have one for reference to keep the others in line if they start to fall out, & when they do show them the paid receipt! Its just to protect yourself!

By law the 1st insurance company has to pay for the initial damages. The 2nd one has to pay for the damage caused by the 2nd accident. And you will caught in the middle because now the 2 companies are going to fight. The 1st one is going to claim that they paid 4K and that is what they owe and any further damage is company #2 problem. Claim it under your insurance and get the other 2 companies to pay the deductable.

Rick

John, I don't know anything about Louisiana insurance, but in Michigan (no-fault insurance) there is more than one kind of collision policy. If you have "broad form" coverage, there is no deductible if the other party is at fault. (One might reasonably ask how someone can be at fault in a no-fault state. That is up to the insurance companies to decide.)

(quoted from post at 21:23:23 10/23/11)

(quoted from post at 00:01:53 10/24/11)

(quoted from post at 20:50:54 10/23/11)

(quoted from post at 22:42:26 10/23/11) I would still suggest she take a defensive driving course.
I have avoided being rear ended twice because I pay attention to what is happening ALL around me at stop lights. Once I sped through the light - after looking both ways of course - and the dummy kept going and had no clue we had both run the light.
Second time - sudden traffic jam on the freeway I managed to see him coming behind me and pulled over onto the shoulder. He hit the car in front of me - who wasn't paying attention.

Click to expand...

I have avoided several accidents this way, but sometimes you are stuck where you cannot move. Happened to me once in a multiple lane backed-up traffic. Was in a center lane, dead stop -- cars all around. The person coming up behind me cruised right on into my rear bumper... You can win some, but you can't win 'em all.

Click to expand...

Outstanding idea.................. Look in the rearview while you are stopped and doing everything right and see some idiot bearing down on you..floor it so he don't have an accident..... don't worry about the semi or car load of kids you just pulled out in front of cause you just saved the idiot behind you from an embarrassing situation......

Wonder sometimes if folks ever think about the expert advice they give 9or halfway agree to?????

Click to expand...

Well, in my case, it has been pulling off the road/taking the ditch/using the shoulder to avoid an accident. I wouldn't go through a red light or pull out in front of somebody.

Click to expand...

Are you people somewhat lacking in comprehension skills?
I said AFTER LOOKING BOTH WAYS OF COURSE.
Sheesh!

as a former appraiser and a shop owner now, the proceedure will probably go like this. the second insurance company will write a complete estimate as possible to cover ALL the damages on the vehicle. then the original estimate from the first accident will be subtracted from it. the second company will pay that amount. so, if the car had 4k damage from the first accident and the total damages to the car are now 7k, 7k-4k = 3k to you from the second company. in the event the car is now a total loss from the second accident, then they would determine actual cash value of you car, and deduct the previous damage from the final settlement. soooo, lets say your car is worth 10k, they would give you 10k for your car, less the 4k from the prior accident, giving you 6k from the second insurance. also, depending on your state laws, in the event of a total loss vehicle, the insurance company would also owe you for title and license transfer fees, and sales tax based on the value of the total loss vehicle. if your replacement vehicle is less than the value of your present vehicle, they would only owe the taxes based on the value of the replacement vehicle. if the replacement car is valued higher than your totaled car, the limit they would owe is based on the value of your totaled car.

We have disposable cameras in all vehicles. If you have a wreck, you can save a lot of headaches by taking pictures of the damage.

Similar thing happened to a friend. Had a fender bender, exchanged info, minor damage. My friend had a disposable camera and took pictures. They got a call from the other person claiming all sorts of damage. They told the person "are you crazy? Don't you remember the pictures we took?" Other person backed off real quick.

First of all, in most places if you get rearended it is not yout fault, the other guy didn't have control of his vehical. If I was in this situation, I would never tell either of the insurance companies about the outher accident. I would hit up 2 auto body repair shops for estimates and try to get paid twice for the damages. That is just me, if the insurance companies fraud guy came around I would say I didn't understand what I was signing. If I got away with it I would use the second payment to buy a Super M with TA or something like it

(quoted from post at 21:05:10 10/24/11) First of all, in most places if you get rearended it is not yout fault, the other guy didn't have control of his vehical. If I was in this situation, I would never tell either of the insurance companies about the outher accident. I would hit up 2 auto body repair shops for estimates and try to get paid twice for the damages. That is just me, if the insurance companies fraud guy came around I would say I didn't understand what I was signing. If I got away with it I would use the second payment to buy a Super M with TA or something like it

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The good news is......He admitted it

Bad news.... He is an admitted liar and crook

and insurance companies are not liars and crooks ?

(quoted from post at 21:59:41 10/24/11) and insurance companies are not liars and crooks ?

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whatever helps you sleep or look in the mirror.....

Lets deal with facts here. A lie is a deliberate mis-representation of the truth or presenting something to be fact when you know it is not. What I suggested does neither. What I said is, take the car to repair shop 1 and tell them auto driver A hit me, please give me an estimate. Then take the car to repair shop 2 and say say auto driver B hit me, please give me an estimate. At no time would I have made any lies, comitted fraud, misrepresented the truth, or anything like that. Everything I said was true. What lie so you think I would have told?

(quoted from post at 22:46:40 10/24/11) Lets deal with facts here. A lie is a deliberate mis-representation of the truth or presenting something to be fact when you know it is not. What I suggested does neither. What I said is, take the car to repair shop 1 and tell them auto driver A hit me, please give me an estimate. Then take the car to repair shop 2 and say say auto driver B hit me, please give me an estimate. At no time would I have made any lies, comitted fraud, misrepresented the truth, or anything like that. Everything I said was true. What lie so you think I would have told?

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"That is just me, if the insurance companies fraud guy came around I would say I didn't understand what I was signing. If I got away with it "


No wonder CA is so screwed up........
sleep good.

(quoted from post at 22:46:40 10/24/11) Lets deal with facts here. A lie is a deliberate mis-representation of the truth or presenting something to be fact when you know it is not. What I suggested does neither. What I said is, take the car to repair shop 1 and tell them auto driver A hit me, please give me an estimate. Then take the car to repair shop 2 and say say auto driver B hit me, please give me an estimate. At no time would I have made any lies, comitted fraud, misrepresented the truth, or anything like that. Everything I said was true. What lie so you think I would have told?

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You have a funny definition of "misrepresenting the truth."

You present a car with damage from TWO accidents, but only say that ONE person hit you... That's misrepresenting the truth. That's fraud.

This is not going to be nearly as complicated as everyone is making out.

1. The insurance adjuster will come and estimate the total damage.
2. The insurance adjuster will subtract the amount of the payment from the previous accident.
3. If the remainder is over the "total" amount, they will total the car and write you a check for the balance of the car's market value.

Insurance companies are just as cash-strapped as everyone else. They don't want to waste expensive lawyer time fighting over a claim any more than you do. It's cheaper to pay out a little more and get it over with than fight over it for months.